This invention relates to a reclining chair, and more particularly, to a moveable headrest for a reclining chair.
A reclining chair is one in which a person can sit upright, as in an ordinary lounge chair, or can lean back thereby moving the back and seat of the chair to a semi-horizontal position. Most reclining chairs also have a moveable footrest which, when the chair is shifted to a reclined position, swings upwardly to support a person's feet. In various recliners, a stationary headrest is integrally formed with the back cushion of the recliner. These stationary headrests have been found to be uncomfortable and to cause unwarranted neck strain when the user is in a reclined position for a prolonged period of time.
Attempts have been made in the past to provide a headrest which moves adjacent to the back when the chair is in a reclined position, and alternatively, to be moved remote from the seat back when the chair is in its generally upright position. Such headrests for a reclining chair are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,514,655 to Luketa, 2,976,915 to Spound, 3,179,477 to Garrett and 4,691,961 to Rogers, Jr. et al. These movable headrests, however, are not designed to comfortably support the user's neck, and accordingly, the possibility of neck strain is reduced. Moreover, in each of these references, intricate gearing arrangements are provided to move the headrest between a position remote from the seat back to its useable position, thus increasing the manufacturing costs of the recliner. Further, these headrests are not automatically adjustable with respect to each of the positions of the reclining chair.